The Philistines continue to attack David and Israel in these final battles as he heads into the last years of his reign.
2 Samuel 21: David Avenges the Gibeonites
1 Now there was a famine in the days of David for three years, year after year. And David sought the face of the LORD. And the LORD said, "There is bloodguilt on Saul and on his house, because he put the Gibeonites to death."
2 So the king called the Gibeonites and spoke to them. Now the Gibeonites were not of the people of Israel but of the remnant of the Amorites. Although the people of Israel had sworn to spare them, Saul had sought to strike them down in his zeal for the people of Israel and Judah.
3 And David said to the Gibeonites, "What shall I do for you? And how shall I make atonement, that you may bless the heritage of the LORD?"
4 The Gibeonites said to him, "It is not a matter of silver or gold between us and Saul or his house; neither is it for us to put any man to death in Israel." And he said, "What do you say that I shall do for you?"
5 They said to the king, "The man who consumed us and planned to destroy us, so that we should have no place in all the territory of Israel,
6 let seven of his sons be given to us, so that we may hang them before the LORD at Gibeah of Saul, the chosen of the LORD." And the king said, "I will give them."
7 But the king spared Mephibosheth, the son of Saul's son Jonathan, because of the oath of the LORD that was between them, between David and Jonathan the son of Saul.
8 The king took the two sons of Rizpah the daughter of Aiah, whom she bore to Saul, Armoni and Mephibosheth; and the five sons of Merab the daughter of Saul, whom she bore to Adriel the son of Barzillai the Meholathite;
9 and he gave them into the hands of the Gibeonites, and they hanged them on the mountain before the LORD, and the seven of them perished together. They were put to death in the first days of harvest, at the beginning of barley harvest.
10 Then Rizpah the daughter of Aiah took sackcloth and spread it for herself on the rock, from the beginning of harvest until rain fell upon them from the heavens. And she did not allow the birds of the air to come upon them by day, or the beasts of the field by night.
11 When David was told what Rizpah the daughter of Aiah, the concubine of Saul, had done,
12 David went and took the bones of Saul and the bones of his son Jonathan from the men of Jabesh-gilead, who had stolen them from the public square of Beth-shan, where the Philistines had hanged them, on the day the Philistines killed Saul on Gilboa.
13 And he brought up from there the bones of Saul and the bones of his son Jonathan; and they gathered the bones of those who were hanged.
14 And they buried the bones of Saul and his son Jonathan in the land of Benjamin in Zela, in the tomb of Kish his father. And they did all that the king commanded. And after that God responded to the plea for the land.
War with the Philistines
15 There was war again between the Philistines and Israel, and David went down together with his servants, and they fought against the Philistines. And David grew weary.
16 And Ishbi-benob, one of the descendants of the giants, whose spear weighed three hundred shekels of bronze, and who was armed with a new sword, thought to kill David.
17 But Abishai the son of Zeruiah came to his aid and attacked the Philistine and killed him. Then David's men swore to him, "You shall no longer go out with us to battle, lest you quench the lamp of Israel."
18 After this there was again war with the Philistines at Gob. Then Sibbecai the Hushathite struck down Saph, who was one of the descendants of the giants.
19 And there was again war with the Philistines at Gob, and Elhanan the son of Jaare-oregim, the Bethlehemite, struck down Goliath the Gittite, the shaft of whose spear was like a weaver's beam.
20 And there was again war at Gath, where there was a man of great stature, who had six fingers on each hand, and six toes on each foot, twenty-four in number, and he also was descended from the giants.
21 And when he taunted Israel, Jonathan the son of Shimei, David's brother, struck him down.
22 These four were descended from the giants in Gath, and they fell by the hand of David and by the hand of his servants.
2 Samuel 22: David's Song of Deliverance
1 And David spoke to the LORD the words of this song on the day when the LORD delivered him from the hand of all his enemies, and from the hand of Saul.
2 He said, "The LORD is my rock and my fortress and my deliverer,
3 my God, my rock, in whom I take refuge, my shield, and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold and my refuge, my saviour; you save me from violence.
4 I call upon the LORD, who is worthy to be praised, and I am saved from my enemies.
5 "For the waves of death encompassed me, the torrents of destruction assailed me;
6 the cords of Sheol entangled me; the snares of death confronted me.
7 "In my distress I called upon the LORD; to my God I called. From his temple he heard my voice, and my cry came to his ears.
8 "Then the earth reeled and rocked; the foundations of the heavens trembled and quaked, because he was angry.
9 Smoke went up from his nostrils, and devouring fire from his mouth; glowing coals flamed forth from him.
10 He bowed the heavens and came down; thick darkness was under his feet.
11 He rode on a cherub and flew; he was seen on the wings of the wind.
12 He made darkness around him his canopy, thick clouds, a gathering of water.
13 Out of the brightness before him coals of fire flamed forth.
14 The LORD thundered from heaven, and the Most High uttered his voice.
15 And he sent out arrows and scattered them; lightning, and routed them.
16 Then the channels of the sea were seen; the foundations of the world were laid bare, at the rebuke of the LORD, at the blast of the breath of his nostrils.
17 "He sent from on high, he took me; he drew me out of many waters.
18 He rescued me from my strong enemy, from those who hated me, for they were too mighty for me.
19 They confronted me in the day of my calamity, but the LORD was my support.
20 He brought me out into a broad place; he rescued me, because he delighted in me.
21 "The LORD dealt with me according to my righteousness; according to the cleanness of my hands he rewarded me.
22 For I have kept the ways of the LORD and have not wickedly departed from my God.
23 For all his rules were before me, and from his statutes I did not turn aside.
24 I was blameless before him, and I kept myself from guilt.
25 And the LORD has rewarded me according to my righteousness, according to my cleanness in his sight.
26 "With the merciful you show yourself merciful; with the blameless man you show yourself blameless;
27 with the purified you deal purely, and with the crooked you make yourself seem tortuous.
28 You save a humble people, but your eyes are on the haughty to bring them down.
29 For you are my lamp, O LORD, and my God lightens my darkness.
30 For by you I can run against a troop, and by my God I can leap over a wall.
31 This God---his way is perfect; the word of the LORD proves true; he is a shield for all those who take refuge in him.
32 "For who is God, but the LORD? And who is a rock, except our God?
33 This God is my strong refuge and has made my way blameless.
34 He made my feet like the feet of a deer and set me secure on the heights.
35 He trains my hands for war, so that my arms can bend a bow of bronze.
36 You have given me the shield of your salvation, and your gentleness made me great.
37 You gave a wide place for my steps under me, and my feet did not slip;
38 I pursued my enemies and destroyed them, and did not turn back until they were consumed.
39 I consumed them; I thrust them through, so that they did not rise; they fell under my feet.
40 For you equipped me with strength for the battle; you made those who rise against me sink under me.
41 You made my enemies turn their backs to me, those who hated me, and I destroyed them.
42 They looked, but there was none to save; they cried to the LORD, but he did not answer them.
43 I beat them fine as the dust of the earth; I crushed them and stamped them down like the mire of the streets.
44 "You delivered me from strife with my people; you kept me as the head of the nations; people whom I had not known served me.
45 Foreigners came cringing to me; as soon as they heard of me, they obeyed me.
46 Foreigners lost heart and came trembling out of their fortresses.
47 "The LORD lives, and blessed be my rock, and exalted be my God, the rock of my salvation,
48 the God who gave me vengeance and brought down peoples under me,
49 who brought me out from my enemies; you exalted me above those who rose against me; you delivered me from men of violence.
50 "For this I will praise you, O LORD, among the nations, and sing praises to your name.
51 Great salvation he brings to his king, and shows steadfast love to his anointed, to David and his offspring forever."
Things to think about…
1. 2 Samuel 21 is the outworking of a rejection of a covenant that was made before God that was binding even though the covenant is 400 years old. When Joshua came into the land of Israel, he was deceived by the Gibeonites saying they were from a far country when in actuality they were near neighbours. Joshua made a covenant with them that Israel would not take their lives even though they were one of the seven nations destined for destruction by Israel. Saul, being a man of flesh rejected the covenant and started killing the Gibeonites. God became angry because the covenant between Israel and the Gibeonites had been violated. Seven sons of Saul are killed by the Gibeonites, only then does the rain come, breaking the drought. Righteousness exalts a nation. Let’s keep praying that Australia honours Christ and that the church shines as His witness to the covenant God has made between His Son and fallen humanity.
2. The phrase “there was again war” is mentioned 5 times in 2 Sam 21:15-22 with respect to Israel fighting against the Philistines. It is interesting that the same area today ‘the Gaza strip’ inhabited by Palestinians are at constant war with Israel. Christians both in Gaza, Israel and the West Bank are praying for Christ’s peace to rule over the land. Let’s continue to do the same. Spiritual warfare of course is the lot of a Christian and is to be waged against sin and Satan daily, 1Cor 15:30, 31.
3. The whole of 2Sam22 is virtually repeated word for word in Psalm 18, with a few minor differences. The Psalm has as part of the heading that David wrote it after “the LORD rescued him from the hand of all his enemies, and from the hand of Saul.” It is interesting that this part of scripture was written after the destruction of seven of Saul’s descendants. Perhaps there were rumblings through all the discord between Absalom and David, as well as the rebellion of Sheba that Saul’s descendants may be desirous of another opportunity at the throne. In any event, David writes a song rejoicing that the Lord had been faithful to him. Meditate on this Psalm and see if you can agree with David regarding your heart before the Lord. It is a challenge, but with godly accountability and grace I believe every Christian can say ‘Amen, this is my heart’
Vision Point for cell groups
CBC’s Vision :- To be a growing biblical church community, significantly influencing our city and beyond, through intentional outreach, fulfilling our mission.
The reading for Sunday came from 2 Samuel 12:1-15.
1. Often we don’t see things others see. Jay used the example of the “74” in the colour-blind example. He couldn’t see the number distinctly until it was pointed out. We see Nathan convince David of his sin with Bathsheba. What process does he use to convince him? Have you ever employed this style and logic to convince people of something you believe to be true?
2. The immediate effects of David sin as declared by Nathan the prophet start straight away. The child dies. The child was innocent. Yet God took him. Innocent people, especially children feel the effects of the sins of their parents. How do we remedy this? Discuss.
3. The encouraging news is that Nathan had told David in vs 13 “"The LORD also has put away your sin; you shall not die.” This amazing grace is giving to all those who have accepted Christ as their Saviour from sin. There is now no condemnation for those in Christ Jesus. Do you live in this freedom?
4. We all need spiritual mentors like Nathan in our lives. Do you have one? More than this, do you have someone that encourages you – like a Barnabas, as well as someone you are teaching like Paul did for Timothy?
Prayer Points
1. Clarity of life and freedoms through to the end of the year.
2. Pray for testimonies that people will be doing every second week. Please consider when you would like to do yours when the pastor asks you to share yours 😉
3. Pray for other building projects – café roof, the repair of the house roof and solar.
4. Growth, conversions, joy in the Word and Spirit to remain and increase.
Praise Points.
1. Solar on the roof, working very well and saving the church money
2. Ability to meet this Sunday, albeit with masks.
3. New visitors to the church on Sunday.
4. The unity and grace on display at CBC.
Announcements
1. Creation ministries International – Dr Don Batton will be presenting at the church. 6pm this Sunday night, 22nd August. The café will be open from 5:30pm.
2. Masks to be worn this Sunday. Freedom in the café.
3. PlayPatch for toddlers at church, Fridays 9:30-11am. Please get the word out. See Maddison for details.
4. Recharge Youth – 6:30-8:30pm. Parents to contact Melinda for details.
5. Church bank details bsb:- 704 913 and Acc number:- 4000 4388 1
